#i am NOT a captive lynx

[lilac-set]

Therian culture is being so fucking dysphoric living in a city. If somebody doesnt release me back into the woods i think im gonna lash out

[katy-l1988]

Chapter 1: The Holly Trinity

Hazbin Hotel Fanfic

In the dawn of the cosmos, the firmament shimmered with the light of divine beings who dwelled in the heavens, their boredom with the monotony of their existence triggering the creation and expansion of the universe as we now know it. Among the heights stood three angels, Sera, Carmilla, and Lucifer, christened by their father as the "Holy Trinity." The three played vital roles, ensuring the proper functioning of both heaven and the universe they were forging.

Sera, with her celestial majesty, was God's first attempt at creating woman. Tall, slender, with eyes capable of reflecting the vastness of the universe, she was a work of art in herself. However, despite her impeccable appearance, she wasn't quite what God was looking for. Sera lacked the capacity to understand and share joys and sorrows, empathy, to be a companion in all aspects of existence. Sera was too distant, too perfect, to fulfill God's purpose. With great sadness, but also with much love, the Father of All decided to appoint her as his delegate, giving her a different purpose than she was originally intended for. She would make his wishes come true, also reducing the workload on her shoulders.

On the fifth day of creation, after bringing life to the creatures of the animal kingdom in the morning, God retired to his workshop with a handful of swan feathers, the eyes of a lynx, and the heart of a lioness. With infinite patience and meticulous dedication, he began assembling these elements one by one, shaping them with his divine power to form a new creation: Carmilla. This angel emerged as a unique and exceptional creation in her own essence. Although she shared certain traits with Sera, she possessed a great capacity to love, and to hate at the same time. That's why he bestowed upon her the gift of creating life.

"Where art I?" she asked fearfully.

"This is my workshop, and thou art my creation," God replied, helping her to her delicate feet. "Thou canst call me Father."

"Father?" The angel observed her wings flutter, analyzed her silver hair, and saw her fingers move in front of her eyes. "What am I exactly?"

"Thou art an angel, my dear. Thou art my vineyard, my garden, my Carmilla." He then helped her walk, fascinated by her elegance. "Come, I want to introduce thee to someone."

God, captivated by what he had created and not wanting to part from her, placed Carmilla alongside Sera to be her support. However, mere hours later, the difference between Sera's serenity and Carmilla's burning passion triggered a latent conflict between them. One, believing herself superior just for being older, wanted to impose her will, while the second was unwilling to obey without a true reason. God chose not to punish them and took another route, deciding to give birth to a new angel, one whose beauty and power would rival even the heavens themselves: Lucifer. He was a free-spirited and dreamy spirit, destined to maintain peace among his sisters, though not among the other angels. While there were those who admired him fervently, like Araziel, there were others who despised him, such as Michael.

God, calm to see that the most important work was done, delegated to Sera and the elders of heaven the task of finishing his great project. With the very dust of the earth, the Elders of Heaven created Adam and Lilith, based on the sketches provided by the King. These new beings, meticulously crafted with love, were presented as the supreme culmination of creation. Adam, molded in the image and likeness of the gods, was imbued with wisdom and strength, while Lilith, equally magnificent, possessed beauty and unparalleled skill. All felt they had fulfilled the expectations of their Lord, but it wasn't long before Lilith decided not to submit to Adam and escaped from Eden. With indomitable determination, she defied the expectations imposed upon her and sought the freedom she fervently desired. Her act of rebellion shook the foundations of paradise and unleashed a conflict that would resonate throughout heaven and earth.

"Dad's design failed," Sera said as the three siblings gathered in the great hall weeks after the event. "She was supposed to stay with Adam. I don't understand."

"Adam is an idiot, who would want to be with him?" Carmilla opined honestly. "He hath no right to rule over her, no one should."

"I agree, Sera," Lucifer intervened with a understanding smile. "After all, love and free will are the foundations of our existence here in heaven."

"But not on earth, brother. Humans are too simple to know what to do with it, and that's why we've set rules," Sera said, looking at herself in the mirror, determined to do what she considered to be God's word. "Lucifer, go for Lilith and bring her back to Eden. She must fulfill her role as the mother of humanity."

"Sera, art thou sure that's the right thing to do?" Lucifer questioned with a doubtful expression on his face as he received the order from his older sister.

"'Tis necessary, or else Dad's dream will be shattered," Sera replied firmly, her voice resonating in the celestial hall.

It was at that precise moment when Lucifer descended into the underworld, finding in Lilith an echo of the passion and rebellion that he so admired in Carmilla. Fascinated by Lilith's freedom and determination, Lucifer was carried away by his feelings, becoming irretrievably attached to that woman of indomitable spirit. Sera, perceiving this as an act of impersonal irreverence, decided to take drastic measures. She took the sketch discarded by her father and created Eve, a figure that reflected her own serenity and obedience. Eve was the embodiment of everything Sera considered right and virtuous, destined to be the perfect counterpart to Lilith. She never imagined it would backfire.

United in their desire to share this emotion, Lucifer and Lilith sought to offer the fruit of knowledge to Adam's new wife, Eve, without understanding the consequences of their actions. In their attempt to open her eyes to the world beyond blind submission, they allowed evil to spread its roots on earth. Sera watched with consternation as events unfolded, as did the other celestial beings, and sent a group of angels to assess the damage. However, the rift proved to be too extensive, and there was no way to close it.

Faced with such a threat, Sera held a trial, which reached the consensus to eradicate those who caused so much chaos. Carmilla, overcome with anguish and desperation, stood in Miguel's way, seeking to stop the bloodshed among their own.

"Move, Carmilla," ordered Miguel.

"I won't. My father wouldn't want this."

"He doesn't deserve his mercy. He destroyed your father's work, our work!"

"Miguel, please. There must be another way to solve this, he's my brother." She thought for a moment, seeing the pain in Carmilla's eyes.

"Just because thou ask, I'll propose changing the punishment to something less severe." Carmilla sighed with relief. "But I warn thee, whatever the new order is, thou'll be responsible for carrying it out."

Miguel stepped back, leaving Carmilla with a lump in her throat. Lucifer, unaware of the crime he was accused of, continued with his life as if nothing had happened, but he felt the gaze of reproach from the other angels. He knew he had made a mistake, but he didn't know how to fix it.

Lucifer walked through the bustling streets of the celestial city, ignoring the murmurs and accusing glances that surrounded him. He knew everyone was aware of what he had done, and the weight of guilt and remorse accompanied him with every step. Finally, he arrived at the home he shared with his sisters, a refuge amidst the turmoil of heaven. Without a word, he made his way to his chamber and lay down on his bed, letting the silence envelop his troubled soul. Tears threatened to surface, but Lucifer forced himself to hold them back. He knew he had made irreparable mistakes, and now he had to face the consequences of his actions. In the stillness of his chamber, he was alone with his thoughts, grappling with his internal conflicts as he plunged into a sea of regret and anguish.

"Wait, Lilith," he thought then, a spark of concern crossing his tormented mind. He knew that whatever punishment he received, she would suffer it too. He couldn't allow his beloved to be harmed, no matter the cost. Quickly, Lucifer stood up, unwilling to waste another second, and sought out his closest friends, Araziel and Zestial, knowing he needed their support. Together, they gathered in the privacy of their home, ready to assess their options and chart a course of action.

Araziel, known for his rebellious spirit and his love for chaos, proposed the idea of recruiting disgruntled angels dissatisfied with the rigid celestial order, those who yearned for change and were willing to follow Lucifer in his quest for justice and freedom. Zestial, with his unwavering loyalty and serene wisdom, vehemently nodded in agreement, backing Araziel's proposal. Together, the three began to devise a plan to recruit followers, preparing to face whatever would come their way.

Several days of hard work and dedication passed, during which they managed to gain the support of a third of heaven, angels who shared their discontent with the established order and longed for radical change. However, someone crucial was still missing, someone whose endorsement was vital for the success of their cause. Lucifer fervently desired to have Carmilla by his side in this struggle, for despite everything, she had always been there for him. He knew the power of his sister and her influence over other angels; she was a commander, second only to Michael.

One afternoon, he approached Carmilla, hoping to convince her to join them in their crusade. However, upon presenting his proposal, he realized that things wouldn't be as easy as he had hoped. Carmilla, far from showing enthusiasm or support, looked at him with a mixture of sadness and determination in her eyes.

"Lucifer, I cannot do it," Carmilla whispered, her voice trembling, feeling the overwhelming weight of responsibility upon her. "If thou risest against heaven, I shall be obliged to face thee. I do not want that, brother, please, do not force me down that path."

"I thought no one gives thee orders. Why dost thou obey now?" Lucifer inquired.

"Because thou art not giving me choices," she replied, tears welling up, on the verge of collapse. "They shall send thee to hell, Lucifer. Thee, and Lilith, and if thou startest this senseless war, also thy friends."

"Then so be it, but I shall not be subdued without a fight."

The battle erupted in heaven once the rebellion began, with the sound of wings unfurling and the clash of swords resonating in the air. Lucifer led, alongside hundreds of angels who had joined his cause, defying the tyranny of Sera and the elders of heaven. On the other hand, Michael, the mightiest of the archangels, rose as the principal defender of the celestial order, supported by legions of faithful angels who fought ferociously, including Carmilla.

The confrontation between Lucifer and Michael was epic, a clash of titans that shook the universe. Both warriors faced each other with fierce determination, each blow and parry resonating with the intensity of a thousand thunders. Despite Lucifer's courage and skill, he was finally overcome by Michael's imposing strength and ability. In the midst of the chaos, Michael lunged at the dreamer with the intention of ending him once and for all, ignoring direct orders. Carmilla, witnessing this, stepped between the two with speed, and the clash of her lance against Michael's body was terrifying. The weapon pierced Michael's chest, and a gut-wrenching scream echoed in the heavens as he fell to the ground, fatally wounded. Quickly, Lucifer seized the lance, feeling the weight of responsibility and anger burning within him.

With a quick and decisive movement, Lucifer turned to Carmilla and said:

"Now 'tis my turn to protect thee." All witnesses blamed Lucifer for that crime.

"Forgive me for not being able to do more."

With Michael's death, Carmilla assumed the role of Commander-in-Chief of the army, and as her first task, she had to finish what Michael started. Out of pity, she sent all the rebels to hell, bidding farewell to her brother with a cold look, unable to show any other emotion. She knew that this was the only way to keep him safe; as long as she was in command of the army, no one would harm him.

[bigcatrescue]

Many of you have asked how to explain to your friends why we can't just set these cats free. Here is a simplified text response you can use.

You can say something like this, "Just like you, Big Cat Rescue hates seeing wild cat species in cages. Sadly, there are several reasons why captive-born cats raised in captivity cannot be set free. Cats from the exotic pet trade have been bred & crossbred for decades by unscrupulous breeders. That, unfortunately, means their DNA is messed up. Cats with mixed-up DNA would weaken the DNA of cats in the wild.

Also, it is illegal to release captive-born & raised cats into the wild.

Another reason is they would not have the same instinct to stay away from humans or populated areas. This would very likely lead to human-animal conflicts which would likely cost the cat its life.

Find more reasons we can't just release them into the wild at http://BigCatRescue.org/gofree/

If you need to discuss this further, I am happy to take time out of my busy day to chat with you, one on one, about this important issue. THANK YOU, for not liking cats being in cages, Big Cat Rescue totally agrees about that, which is why they do not breed more for life in cages.

#BigCatRescue #education #educational #bigcat #GoFree #nocages #nomorecages #setthemfree #cat #cats #nature #wildlife #lions #tigers #leopards #jaguars #moutainlion #cougar #lynx #bobcat #serval #caracal #facts #factsonly #FactsMatter #factcheck #factscheck #truth #interesting #INFO #important #importantinformation #importantfacts #question #questionoftheday

[laresearchette]

Wednesday, October 16, 2024 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES? SHRINKING (Apple TV+) NEMESIS (Disney + Star) SISTAS (BET Canada) 9:00pm FUGITIVES CAUGHT ON TAPE (A&E Canada) 10:00pm

WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT? SCAMANDA (Premiering on October 19 on E! Canada at 10:00pm)

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

AMAZON PRIME CANADA ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A CELEBRITY?

CBC GEM AN UNFINISHED JOURNEY THE LONELIEST RACE

DISNEY + STAR KIFF: THE HAUNTING OF MISS MCGRAVY’S HOUSE HALLOWEEN SPECIAL ME & MICKEY (Season 3 Halloween Special) ME & WINNIE THE POOH (Season 2 Halloween Special) NEMESIS (all episodes) PLAYDATE WITH WINNIE THE POOH (Season 2 Halloween Special episodes)

NETFLIX CANADA ANCIENT APOCALYPSE: THE AMERICAS (GB) I AM A KILLER: SEASON 5 (GB) JUSTICE (PL) LITTLE FOCKERS MEET THE FOCKERS MEET THE PARENTS SINISTER SINISTER 2 SWEET BOBBY: MY CATFISH NIGHTMARE (GB)

NBA BASKETBALL (SN Now) 7:00pm: Nets vs. 76ers

NHL HOCKEY (SN) 7:30pm: Kings vs. Leafs (SN360) 9:30pm: Bruins vs. Avalanche

MLB BASEBALL (SN1) 7:30pm: Dodgers vs. Mets - Game 3

BACK TO ROOTS (APTN) 7:00pm: Perry and Chef Denia set up a rabbit snare; Chef Denia shares memories of snaring, trapping and eating rabbit; they forage for and chat about wild blueberries.

WNBA BASKETBALL (TSN/TSN4) 8:00pm: Liberty vs. Lynx - Game 3

THE KNOWING (CBC) 8:00pm (FINALE): Tanya's journey concludes with a shocking revelation of where Annie Carpenter's final resting place is, and the realization that her story could represent those of many other families.

THE PASSIONATE EYE (CBC) 9:00pm: An Unfinished Journey

MARK MCKINNEY NEEDS A HOBBY (CTV) 9:02pm: Mark McKinney is hosted by a Toronto-based barbershop quartet as he learns the ropes, notes, and techniques that go into the art of singing in four-part harmony.

SECRET HISTORY (APTN) 9:00pm: As her people face extinction, a young woman, armed with a pen and traditional knowledge, chooses captivity over freedom to ensure her people's existence is not lost to history.

AVERAGE JOE (BET Canada) 10:00pm (SERIES PREMIERE): Joe discovers his recently deceased father was in cahoots with Russian mobsters but broke his allegiance by stealing $10 million and a Lamborghini from them.

GOING NATIVE (APTN) 10:30pm: From Māori heavy metal to traditional folk instruments, Drew uncovers how indigenous peoples are rocking the world and making their traditional languages available for millions to hear.

SO LONG, MARIANNE (Crave) 11:00pm: Marianne is reunited with Leonard in Montreal, but struggles to adapt to the city. Leonard becomes evasive when she delivers big news.

[eijispumpkin]

ASHEIJI PIRATES AU???? PLEASE EXPAND ON UR IDEA

OHOHO!!!! GLADLY!!! (cw for fantasy transphobia.)

eiji is a prince with a big problem.

see, most people think he's a princess, not a prince, and he's supposed to marry some prince from a kingdom across the sea, but that guy is a huge asshole and he doesn't want any part of it, especially because that guy is expecting a "princess" to be his "wife", and... uh, yeah, no.

but he isn't given a choice in the matter, and so he's put on a ship with his tutor and trusted friend, ibe-san, and sent off to his doom (or wedding. whatever). the weather is bad, and they’re forced to go a little further from the coast than planned...

and then their ship gets boarded by pirates.

specifically, pirates flying the lynx’s flag. everyone who lives near the sea and plenty who don’t have heard of the lynx - he’s a deadeye, he’s unstoppable, and none who cross him live to tell the tale. his crew is full of ruthless, dangerous men, and upon spotting a ship full of merchants and nobility, they descend like scavengers, lining up the crew and passengers on the deck as they take all the cargo and valuables from the hold.

and that’s when eiji gets a bright idea.

“excuse me,” he says, and waves at the man he can only assume is captain lynx (he’s more slender than eiji expected, and younger. pretty, in a surprising way). “captain lynx? do you take hostages?”

captain lynx gives him a flat look. “i don’t deal in any sort of trade with people’s lives, if that’s what you’re asking. no. we don’t kidnap people.”

eiji holds his wrists together and does his best big, pleading eyes. “i’m a prince. i’m sure you could get a nice ransom for me! please?”

that’s about when poor ibe faints and falls to the deck with a thunk.

“the fuck is wrong with you?” captain lynx asks, completely ignoring poor ibe-san, out cold. “you want to be kidnapped by pirates, princess?”

eiji sighs. “i’m not a princess. i’m a prince. and i am being shipped off to a marriage i never wanted, to a man who wants me to be his pretty ‘wife’ in a cage for the rest of my life. yes, i want to be kidnapped by pirates.”

something flickers in captain lynx’s eyes. later, eiji will understand what it was; later, he will know that captain lynx knows a lot firsthand about being someone’s pretty doll in a gilded cage. for now, all he knows is that captain lynx reminds him of a roaring flame in a human guise, as he turns his head to snap at one of the pirates carrying loot from the hold back to the pirates’ ship.

“bones!” he commands, and gestures at eiji. “take his highness aboard. we’ll see what kind of ransom we can get for him.”

the pirate who comes to get him is rather scrawny - bony, even - and eiji wonders if that’s where he got his name. as he’s led across the precarious planks joining the two ships, he can’t stop grinning.

later, captain lynx comes to him and apologizes, for calling him “princess” earlier. eiji is startled; it’s the first time someone outside his family has gone out of their way to apologize to him for that, and he realizes with a shock that he quite likes life away from court.

captain lynx offers him a deal: he can stay on the ship as long as he wants, so long as he finds a way to make himself useful as part of the crew. eiji admits he’s never done much work on a ship before, but he’s willing to learn, and captain lynx laughs at him, and eiji is startled all over again by just how lovely this strange pirate of so much rumor can be.

“what about the ransom?” eiji asks, a little apprehensive.

captain lynx rolls his eyes. “that was bullshit for the people watching. i told you, i don’t deal with human lives. i just can’t have anyone knowing i’m not an asshole.”

why not? eiji wants to know. he decides it’s better not to ask, not yet.

captain lynx takes eiji up to the crow’s nest, at the top of the mast, and tells him he can be lookout, for now - all he needs to do is keep an eye on the horizon, and hold onto the ropes. eiji laughs and promises he’ll be careful and won’t fall, looking out into the distance with wonder, and captain lynx just grins at him and says “okay. then i’ll leave you to it, birdie.”

birdie.

eiji likes that.

later still, eiji gets himself real pirate clothes, rather than cumbersome finery made for the princess he never was. the first mate, alex, cuts his hair for him, and he is so utterly delighted by the sight that greets him in the mirror that he jumps for joy, ruffles his own hair, and runs off to find captain lynx to exclaim about how fluffy his hair is now.

(if captain lynx blushes as eiji tells him to pet his hair, surely it’s just because of the sun.)

and even later, somewhere on the high seas, bones mentions that there’s an alchemist who makes a masculinization serum that he takes. he asks if eiji wants to come with him, next time they stop at that port. eiji is delighted both to have the opportunity, and to get to know a friend in the same boat as himself.

(pun intended.)

captain lynx mentions also that there’s a surgeon they took bones to, a couple of years ago, and bones eagerly rips off his shirt to show off his scars proudly. captain lynx laughs again. eiji really wonders why that’s so captivating.

“we can get you there, too, birdie,” he says, and gives eiji a smile that’s warmer than the lanterns on the deck at night. “if that’s something you’d want.”

“how can i ever repay you?” eiji asks, touched beyond measure. “you have done so much for me. and i know you are being hunted, because of the bount on my head.”

before captain lynx can answer, bones jumps in. “they had those super fancy looking pastries in the galley on your old ship. do you know how they make ‘em? i wanna feast like a king!”

captain lynx snorts. “there’s your answer, eiji. get my crew some fancy-ass pastries and we’ll call it a day.”

all this happens, and lots more, too. eiji doesn’t know any of it, when he gets taken on board the lynx’s ship, leaving his old life behind. all he does know, as he breathes in the salty air and feels the sea spray on the wind, is that it tastes like freedom.

[yiqiie]

wangxian fic rec list

y’all knew this was gonna happen at some point alkdjasld 

i’ll put this under a keep reading so it doesn’t clog up everyone’s feed! i have created a full summary of basically all my bookmarks and am slowly writing reviews so take a look at that if you would like hehe 

this post is mainly to track my favourite fics but it will be constantly updated!  

here is the summary: notion fic rec page (i spent so long on this omg but it looks pretty :))

something to make your heart ache

series: long way home by @idrilka 

angst, fluff, smut, multi-chapter, post-CQL 

honestly one the best fics i have ever read; it captures the pining and the longing so perfectly and we get a wangxian marriage and domestic wangxian in future chapters so basically the perfect fic to soothe your heart post-CQL

and so my heart beats wildly by lily_winterwood 

angst, fluff, smut, multi-chapter, modern AU 

THIS FIC IS INSANELY FANTASTIC; the attention to detail is absolutely incredible and i really respect the amount of effort it would have taken to create this universe (basically modern cultivation); also the pining is just ASLKDJ 

your heartbeat across the grass by fakeplasticlily 

angst, fluff, smut, modern AU 

footballer!LWJ + photographer!WWX literally enough said; this was the first fic i read and it was the one that dragged me down the rabbit hole of wangxian angst, i literally needed 3 days to properly function after reading this 

series: forget everything, but the flowers and my love for you by leffy

angst, fluff, smut, mutli-chapter, modern AU

the first part of this ENDED me; it’s just such a nicely written fic with just the right amount of angst but we also get a domestic wangxian and they adopt [redacted] so it’s just NICE OKAY I LOVE THIS FIC also the smut is A+++++

shadows in the sun rise by @glenflower

angst (so much omg), fluff, post-CQL 

this angst killed me, like if you want something that really makes your heart just ache and ache this is the one; but it’s also unbelievably sweet and really shows how well wangxian know each other and how good wwx is to lwj ;;;

爱不释手; never let me go by yiqie 

angst, fluff, light smut, post-CQL

THIS FIC *mindblown* like genuinely wow what a well-written fic, i literally stayed up till 2am to finish reading this it was so captivating; basically wangxian are husbands (but not really bc ????? they are dumb) and it’s a fantastic case fic that just makes your heart whole again 

hunters seeking solid ground by @attilarrific

angst, fluff, smut, post-CQL

if you want something that makes your heart break for wwx, this is the one; it deals with some pretty heavy themes of PTSD and trauma but it’s so beautifully written and it features domestic wangxian (who aren’t together but like they’re together) and i just come back to read this one again and again 

something to soothe your heart 

a settling into his bones by walking_through_autumn

fluff, light smut, post-MDZS

THIS ONE RIGHT HERE GUYS; this was a recent read of mine and it’s so perfect, domestic wangxian at its peak, just them being husbands and dealing with the past together and then just being in love even more 

your heart, two doors down by @neiljortsens

fluff, modern AU 

*slams fist on table* GIVE US THE DOMESTIC WANGXIAN WE NEED; guys this is so fluffy i cannot i literally live for domestic wangxian being husbands (but not husbands) and this is literally that; also dad!WWX gives us all life and we thank the writers who give us this gift 

facilitated diffusion by chinxe 

fluff, modern AU 

in wangxian being dumbasses we trust; LWJ bby use your words pls but asldiajsd this is just a cute short sweet fic that makes my heart feel whole again after all that angst 

i hope that you will come and meet me by feyburner 

light angst, fluff, smut, post-CQL

DOMESTIC WANGXIAN STRIKES AGAIN; pls wwx use your words stop being a dumbass but this fic just makes my heart go 🥺it’s so beautifully written and the pining just is argh my heart ACHES 

something yet to learn by glitterbombshell 

light angst, fluff, post-CQL

ANOTHER DOMESTIC WANGXIAN (can you tell this is my thing???) but wwx teaching the baby lans is something i want to see every single day for the rest of my life it’s so wholesome and it fills and soothes my heart; also lwj being proud of his husband is my new kryptonite 

sleep in your bed by copperwings 

fluff, smut, modern AU 

WANGXIAN BEING DUMBASSESS AGAIN; wwx finding every opportunity to tease lwj is my favourite thing and lwj finally taking the initiative to just KISS wwx to shut him up is just *chef’s kiss* 

from me to you by @lynxxed

fluff, modern AU, social media 

THIS FIC IS ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVOURITES; perfect use of social media to convey how dumb WWX truly is, but it’s just perfect pining and wholesome fluff wangxian being boyfriends is just always welcomed 

it’s the little things, you see by geraldinegrenadine

fluff, modern AU

WWX BEING A DUMBASS WE LOVE; dad!WWX + teacher!LWJ is the pairing i never knew i needed in my life but i’m so glad that it is omfg, domestic wangxian strikes again in this fic 

one good thing by @glenflower

fluff, light angst, modern AU

this was one of my recent finds! i absolutely love the concept and premise behind this fic + wwx being a chaotic mess without realising lwj is there is literally what wakes me up in the morning, i’ve probably re-read this fic way too many times by now oopsie 

something to make you laugh

the simplest way forward by harriet_vane

fluff, smut, light angst, modern AU

wwx reaches peak dumbass in this fic and that is not an exaggeration but we love him for it; lwj pls use your words sweetie but honestly i LIVE for this fic it’s so wonderfully written as well and incorporates all the other characters really well 

not just netflix and chill (or lan zhan's lack of grasp of euphemisms) by misscam

fluff, light smut, modern AU

CUTE, SWEET, WHOLESOME everything you would ever want, someone pls save lwj the poor bby, but this is just something short and sweet to soothe your heart from all the angst in this list hehe 

grace and a tender hand by feyburner 

fluff, modern AU 

wholesome, tooth-rotting fluff and the complications that come with first dates BUT IT’S SO CUTE wangxian being boyfriends is the aesthetic we live for 

[au-bound]

Shadow & Bone Thoughts (Ep 5&6)

So I blew through this series in like a day to avoid spoilers, and wanted to rewatch it slower to catch all the little things I may have missed after getting so hear others' thoughts on it. And I thought I'd do one of these types of posts (is there an official term for them? Like live tweeting but not?), since I've never done one before! I'm taking it two episodes at a time so this isn't as overwhelmingly long. Read if you like, scroll really fast if you don't!

Ep 5

-The guard said no guns, so how is Jesper going to perform his talent?

-Aw, I just realized Marie dies before she gets to get with Sergei :(

-David!!!!!

-That actor's way more attractive than I pictured. But still so incredibly awkward, I love it

-Those are some ugly gloves

-Poor bby Kaz without his cane:(

-"What makes one carriage faster than another? Wheels? Weight? The year it was built?" Jesper has the best lines😂

-"I was just trying my Ivan impression." Yeah, I would die for Fedyor.

-You can see the moment Kaz says lynx flush the other crows know exactly not to trust Arken. Like you can see Jesper eyeing him up and down

-The Darkling should not have an adorable, affectionate smile, it's not faaaair

-Jesper's flirting game is on point. Ngl I'm jealous of the stablehand

-I want Inej's red cloak

-David x Genya scenes stealing the show more than the Inferni shooting fire across the room

-Some people see the Darkling getting Alina irises as clever and sweet, but I just think it's cheating a bit

-Jumps from Marie dying to Alina laughing with her friends. Gotta hand it to the editors, they know how to make it hurt

-Those show should be called 'How Much Can We Injure Mal Before He Can No Longer Move?'

-For all the Darkling's faults, we do stan a consent king

"Aleksander is the Black Heretic" Why am I gasping, I already knew that

-The love and concern on Kaz's face after Inej kills someone for him👌❤️😭

-DARKLING YOU GET AWAY FROM BAGHRA

-Jesper immediately knowing something is wrong with Inej, the best friendship

-You know, Jesper got to have a great hook up. He got to see his target go exactly where they needed her to. He got to milk that info for all it's worth with Kaz. Jesper is having a great day.

Ep 6

-Alina cleverly using the magnifying glass to open the lock makes me wish we could have seen her with her weaponized hand mirrors

-Titanic moment! If only Rose was a Heartrender, rip Jack

-Half of Matthias's subtitles are just grunts

-The writers looked at the igloo (hut?) scene from the books and knew they couldn't improve on perfection

-Mal and Alina, aka miscommunication as a plot device personified, I am glad you finally get to communicate

-"I will always find you." There goes our OUaT Prince Charming again

-"I can feel just how much you hate sleeping next to me."😂😂😂

"The Black General" ...WHY WILL NO ONE CALL HIM THE DARKLING??

-"You're a..." Yeah, Ivan knew Jesper was a Grisha. And I loved the subtle panic in his eyes, nice job Kit.

-Both times Inej killed it was to protect Kaz, and I cry

-Kaz said Alina wasn't interested in being a captive anymore, and the Darkling just looks crushed. I think here's where he loses his hope of the relationship they could have had. In the future, he talks about it being fixed, but I think that was just him grasping at straws to convince himself. I'd feel bad if their relationship wasn't, you know, all manipulation

-Matthias putting the fur around Nina in slo-mo is an interesting choice... Anytime slo-mo is used it's an interesting choice

-Inej, you have a gaping cut in your side, why drop down from the top of the stairs rather than taking them?

-David attacking Jesper with a book is my spirit animal

- I'm genuinely crying from David's little hand gestures when he talks

-"Bodyguard to a saint" foreshadows the next book quite nicely

[wondereads]

Personal Recommendation (2/28/21)

Damsel by Elana K. Arnold

Why am I recommending this book?

I loved this one. I finished it in less than two hours and then spent an extra hour lying there thinking about how great it was. I think this is the first book I’ve felt this way about in a long time, so anticipate a very long, spoiler-filled review. (Please keep in mind, this review discusses things like rape, abuse, and extreme misogyny. If this is a trigger for you, please do not read this review! Also, if you’re looking to avoid spoilers, skip to the Overall section.)

Want something quick and short? Check out my tiktok

Plot 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

In the land of Harding, it’s tradition that after the previous king dies, the prince will venture out, slay a dragon, and rescue a damsel. When Ama wakes up in the arms of Prince Emory of Harding, she has no memory of the dragon or anything before that. However, as she starts her new life as Emory’s fiancée, she starts to realize that life in the palace isn’t quite what it seems.

One thing you must understand is that this book is character-driven. There is no grand plan or kingdom-threatening evil. It’s all about Ama and how she deals with life in Harding. As such, the plot section will be a little short. The gradual transition that takes place in Ama from her arrival to the wedding is very well done, and the slow revelations that take place really begin to up the ante towards the end. Even if this wasn’t the most exciting book I’d ever read, I was entirely invested in Ama and her search for the truth.

There was also a very cool bit of symbolism in this book with the comparison of Sorrow, Ama’s lynx kit, and Pawlin’s falcon. The falcon represents what Emory wishes Ama to be, the perfect pet. An obedient creature that will always return to him. Sorrow represents what Ama actually is. A wild animal that was partially trained before eventually finding freedom again. Both Ama and Sorrow return to Harding with Emory, are trained to behave a certain way, and face pain and sickness before escaping.

Also, this was the most satisfying ending to a book that I’ve read in a long time. It’s a bit open in that we don’t know what the characters will be doing after or what will happen in Harding, but Ama gets what she wants and takes out the people who were keeping it from her, and even though I don’t know what will happen to her after, I know it’ll probably be something good.

Characters 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

Now, this is the section that will be quite long. Ama has her quirks and traits, but I believe that first and foremost she is average. She has the sort of compassion that you would expect from any human being, and she doesn’t always speak out. Sometimes, she’s scared, and she ends up giving in. As the story progresses, Ama begins to lose some of her fire, she begins to give up. It’s very easy to see how her treatment is having an effect on her character, and that’s why I felt so strongly about her arc. Seeing her gradually lose herself makes me all the more insistent that she will win in the end. And she does, and it’s a very satisfying win at that. I’m particularly fond of how she turns Emory’s words on him during her escape.

Emory is an incredibly well-written character. The transition from savior to captor is very smooth and convincing. When Ama first meets Emory, he’s very sweet. He showers her with compliments, he prioritizes her comfort over his own, and he protects her fiercely. He was so nice that I at first thought that he would be Ama’s ally in Harding. However, once Ama and Emory enter Harding, a place where he is now king, he changes. He expects Ama to fit the mold of the perfect bride; quiet, docile, pretty. He humiliates her, does whatever he pleases, and he can get away with it all because he has undeniable power there. To put it simply, Emory slowly begins to show the classic signs of an abuser. He exerts his power in every way, he cuts her off from the outside world, he tries to deprive her of Sorrow, her only protector, and he and his friends gaslight her at every turn. And it’s slow enough that by the time Ama is exposed, she’s already under the watchful eye of an entire kingdom. A realization of Ama’s puts it in perfect terms - he likes her best when she’s in need of rescuing.

Ama and Emory at first seem like the perfect couple. It matches what we have been taught, the brave prince and the beautiful damsel, and Emory is dedicated to the show. In fact, Emory never once physically abuses Ama. He loves to give her compliments, and it’s obvious he genuinely wants to marry her. Unfortunately, the reasons for marrying Ama are probably due to his coronation and his belief that, as king, he needs a damsel as queen. The psychological abuse on Ama is profound, and, because of the culture in Harding, he can get away with it no problem. It’s only through Ama’s own strength and the help she receives from other girls, such as Tillie and the queen mother, that she is able to escape.

The last major character I want to talk about is the queen mother. She is very important for Ama’s discoveries, and she’s a classic abuse victim. She has come to accept what happens in Harding as the norm, and she encourages Ama to accept it as well so she won’t get hurt. However, she still is an important character to Ama, and she still, perhaps on purpose, helps Ama escape what she had to experience. I have high hopes for her at the end.

Writing Style 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

This book is written in a similar style to a typical fairytale. It has similar language, and a lot of the descriptions, especially of Ama’s inner feelings, are rather abstract. It really does feel like an exceptionally long fable. Also, the pacing in this book, the way the revelations of Emory’s character and Ama’s memory are spread out, is perfect. It held my attention just enough, and once it began to pick up speed towards the end I was absolutely ready for it. It’s not hard to predict what the big secret is. Odds are, if you’re on Tumblr as much as I am, you could tell by the time you finished the summary. However, Arnold leaves it right up to the last moment to reveal what impact that secret will have. Although it was the ending I was hoping for, I wasn’t sure it would be right up until it happened.

Meaning 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

There is some great commentary in Damsel on rape culture, psychological abuse, and the effects of misogyny. First of all, Harding is one of the most misogynistic kingdoms in the fictional world. The worst part is, most of it isn’t through actual physical threats to women. There is one scene where two men attempt to sexually assault Ama. However, her savior is Emory, her abuser. 

The big problem in Harding is the absolute dehumanization that woman face. Multiple times, women are referred to as vessels, having no worth beyond the children they carry and raise. It is so heavily ingrained into the damsels when they arrive that the queen mother believes it to be true. All of the girls that have lived in Harding, such as Tillie, agree with it as well. Women are expected to sit quietly and look pretty while the men around them make crude jokes and treat them like objects. This is why Emory can do what he does. He can almost rape Ama and literally lead her around on a leash because the entire society of which he is king is filled with enablers and bystanders. Ama knows throughout the entire book that the way Emory treats her is wrong. It goes against her very nature, but she submits to it. Why? Because everyone around her acts like it’s normal. Because it’s better than being held captive by a dragon. Because it’s better than being on the streets where much worse could happen to her. Because it’s just the way things are. 

Damsel has some pretty powerful statements on how rape culture can enable abuse and psychologically wear down women. It shows what horrible things a abuse victim can be subjected to. However, it also shows what happens when Tillie and the queen mother help Ama in the little ways they can. It shows that woman can stand up to their abusers and have a much brighter future; that they are not defined by what they have endured. And I think that’s why I loved this book so much.

Overall 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10

I was wholly invested in the book. I absolutely loved it, and I will definitely be getting a personal copy for myself. Ama’s journey of self-discovery (literally) pulls the reader in, and Emory’s quiet transition is so subtle and powerful. The social commentary is amazing, and you will absolutely love Sorrow. Please do keep in mind that this book deals with some heavy topics such as rape and abuse, so do not read it if you have issues with that. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy fantasy, fractured fairytales, and people getting what they deserve.

The Author

Elana K. Arnold: American, also wrote A Boy Called Bat, What Girls Are Made Of, and Red Hood

The Reviewer

My name is Wonderose; I try to post a review every two weeks, and I take recommendations. Check out my about me post for more!

[an-orca-on]

Therian Q’s ... 2!!!

I did this questionnaire several years ago, and thought it might be fun to do again! I know some of my answers are gonna be different, and it’s a neat way for any new followers to learn a bit about me. Let’s go!

What animal do you identify as?

Orcinus orca, the "killer whale".

Where does it live?

Orcas live all over the world! There are several types, but the most well known are probably the Southern Resident Killer Whales of the Puget Sound area. I think that I was a Northern Resident Killer Whale, but I’m not entirely sure. The icy stark landscape of the Antarctic still feels really familiar too.

Are you social or more of a lone wolf?

Orcas live in pods, and are social. I am so social. Please talk to me. Aaaa.

Are you in a pack,herd,pride,clan,etc? If not, did you consider joining one?

I’ve wanted this for awhile, but getting out is hard for me. I’m in a couple Discord servers for kin stuff, but nothing specifically orca related.

Is your kintype also your favourite animal?

One of them, yes!

Is your kintype being hunted? If yes, how does it affect you emotionally?

Currently, no. They have been in the past, and there are still orcas in captivity, which I hate. Cetaceans are extremely intelligent and keeping them in captivity is torture. Literally.

Do you have anything from your kintype? Like, fur, teeth, etc?

That’s SUPER ILLEGAL, so no. I do have a Free Willy pendant, though.

Do you have astral limbs?

Sometimes! They’re not as strong as with some other kintypes, and I suspect that it’s because the astral limbs don’t translate very well to a human body plan. A whale’s tail is not from the legs, it’s an extension of the spine. So instead of tacking that feeling onto the human shape, my brain sort of shuffles the feeling off to the side.

Do you experience shifts?

Not as much for this kintype. I think the strongest “shifty” feelings I get are actually emotional - relating to love of places, my pod, the water, the feeling of being “me” in that form.

What triggers your ‘wild side’ the most?

Being in water. Water and whale sounds. The feel of cold air on my skin. The smell of salty ocean air.

What is your opinion on the buttloads of wolves and big cats out here?

They’re easy and accessible. Most of us know what a wolf and a cat are. We can imagine what they look like, and feel like, and what their life is like. There’s tons of media out there of both, they’re popular in spiritual work, people can identify common archetypal traits with them that they have themselves. I think it’s silly to look down on someone for having a “common” kintype like wolf or lynx or whatever. Even if they find out later that they’re not that kintype, it gave them a jumping off point to explore themselves and dig deeper into what otherkinity means for them. tldr; it’s none of my beeswax and y’all should chill about this.

How does your kintype affect your day-to-day-life?

I’m staunchly anti-cetacean-captivity. I would love to get more involved in local action to protect the ocean, I try to be environmentally conscious. I care deeply about my chosen people.

Do you share any traits generally associated with your theriotype?

I adore swimming and being in the water. I’m very sensitive to sounds. I have sort of a restrictive diet for health reasons. I’m very social.

Worst example of fluff you ever encountered, either in IRL or Online?

Sttoooopp asking this quesstiiiooonnnnnn seriously, seriously, get over yourselves if “fluff” bothers you I promise you will be a happier person if you just let other people lives their own lives when it doesn’t affect you at ALL.

Is therianthropy important in your life?

Yes and no. Is it important enough to affect (some) of my life goals and dreams? Yes. Is it important enough that I have to tell absolutely everyone I meet? No.

Imagine you could shift into your theriotype. There’s just one downside; the shift is forever. Would you still do it and abandon your human life?

I would need some time to think about it, but it sure is tempting.

Is there anything you consider a treat? Like, fruits, dog treats, etc.

For the whale? S a l m o n.

Do you have contacts with therians IRL?

Y...es? I think so. But the line between IRL and Online friends is a lot more blurry than it used to be, I think.

Do you think someone of your family is a therian?

Probably Not.

What is your opinion on those otherkin documentaries? Do you think they’re accurate?

I think that even if they are accurate to the people that are in the show, you’re never going to get the whole picture of what being otherkin is like. I’ve always heard, and said myself, that if you ask 10 people what otherkin is you’re going to get 15 answers because everyone’s internal concept of the phenomenon is different. Plus, positivity and joy doesn’t sell the same way cringe and angst does. [shrug emoji]

Do you actively work to preserve or otherwise care for your species?

Hard to do, living in a really landlocked area and being poor - but I would love to be more active this way.

What do you think your purpose is here? Do you think you have one?

I hate this question. Is it not enough to just Be?

Do you think having an animal soul is an advantage or a disadvantage?

Neither. I think it’s just an interesting experience on the enormously varied spectrum of being an incarnated being.

Any physical activity that reminds you of your theriotype?

Being in the water and swimming. But this can be frustrating more than a fun and joyful experience. As I mentioned earlier, a whales tail is not formed from legs - it’s the spine. So trying to swim “mermaid style” is NOT the same motion as a whale swimming, and it’s a really awkward and uncomfortable movement when my body feels like it should be a smooth and graceful one.

Does weather influence you in your non-human perception?

Cold feels very familiar. Cold and dark, driving rain.

Day or Night?

Still night.

Summer or Winter?

Winter.

If you had kids, would you tell them you’re a therian or would you keep it a secret?

I don’t think I’d keep it a secret, but I don’t know if I’d approach it as “moddy is a therian.” I struggled for a good couple minutes searching to come up with a gender neutral parent term and I still don’t know if I like that one, sheesh.

Would you make a presentation in your school/work/office about therianthropy?

Sure! I think it’s a lot less “taboo” now than it used to be, and there’s likely more kin out there than you’re aware of.

If you have any questions about my answers here or just questions in general about me, therianthropy, orcas, etc...send me an ask! <3

[insolitus-academy]

Thursday the 20th: Return of the AMARCIDIUM

First seen: November 23rd, 2015

For this event: do self-para’s or normal para’s to fill out the BINGO card. 

Where: The Insolitus grounds, the forest and in the mountains outside of the forcefield. 

What: The Amercidium are large feline creatures (mostly resembling a lynx but the size of a large indian tiger) that emerge from the dark realms every now and then, it seems a pride of Amercidium have decided to visit the academy grounds for a while. There is a catch however, not everyone can see the large blue felines. Only when you killed someone you can see an Amercidium. There are several stages…

Innocent creatures only smell lillies when the Amarcidium are near.

Creatures that have watched someone die without helping smell lillies and burnt paper. The smell of burnt paper is their list of good deeds being burned to ashes.

Creatures that have killed a person can see the creatures, smell them and interact with them. They are friendly.

Creatures that have killed more than one person, but can still count how many they killed can see the creatures and will attract them. They also hear bells whenever an amarcidium is near.

Lastly, creatures that have killed countless people will have trouble sleeping as the amarcidium will not leave them alone, scratch their doors, cry in front of their dorms, constantly try to get close to them. They will try to lure the person to their home, as they want them to become one of them.

* One of the myths around the Amarcidium is that serial killers and war criminals turn into the Amarcidium because heaven nor hell wants them.

Some facts:

Amarcidium do not eat flesh, they live on a diet of water and grass.

Amarcidium can be killed but if you kill an Amarcidium, other Amarcidium will kill you.

Amarcidium are rarely alone, it might seem to you they are alone if you just killed one person. But they really rarely are.

Amarcidium are magical, obviously, their hides are used to make cloaks for reapers and shigofumi.

Reapers and shigofumi can always see Amarcidium.

Keeping an Amarcidium as a pet is not possible with a wild Amarcidium. Only those bred in captivity can be held as a pet.

They say that when you look in the eyes of an Amarcidium, you see the faces of everyone you have killed.

The Amarcidium have been one of my favorite creature creations I’ve done in the past years. Therefor I am bringing them back for a week!

[whoviandoodler]

Kanej (part 2)

Please keep in mind this is completely unedited (for now), so there might be a spelling/grammar mistake or two.

Hope you enjoy, and as always, feedback is greatly appreciated. Love you x

PART 1: HERE  |  PART 3 | AO3 FANFIC

-----------

Inej spit out blood onto the wooden planks of the ship, holding her bruised stomach. Threads of black hair stuck to her face wet with sweat and rain, but even without them obstructing her view, she couldn’t see from the tears that blurred the swaying floor below her.

“Do you not tire of this daily routine?” asked the man who stood somewhere to her left. She knew him as Derry Pollet, one of the most prominent slave traders in the True Sea. He caught whoever he came upon, regardless of their ethnicity and gender, which made hunting him down an almost impossible task. He not only had no pattern in prey, but also in which ports he stopped in, which pubs he visited, which places he frequented. Pollet sold his catch to whoever offered most, filled up on supplies and was back on the water in a matter of a couple days.

It took Inej two years and dozens of favors returned before she managed to find him, and even then everything went right to Hell. She didn’t expect him to have so many people, so many weapons, and she definitely didn’t count on the five Grishas he employed that no living soul knew of.

The next kick hit her broken arm and she winced, barely containing the scream in her lungs.

“Come now, Wraith of the Sea, I am sure we can come to an agreement.”

She wanted to tell him what he can do with his proposal, but didn’t dare open her mouth. She feared that if she did, she would either start shouting, or much worse, crying.

One of the ruffians, whichever got the task to abuse her this time, kicked her again. She would say nothing, and as became her habit when she wanted to escape the pain of reality, she thought of Kaz. The sharp plane of his face, those unreadable eyes that would every so often soften when they were alone, the way his hair just barely curled in the wind, the scars on his hands.

She didn’t regret going after Pollet, not one bit, but she did regret that she didn’t have more time to scout and think of a solid plan and two instead of jumping right into action. If she had, he may now be in custody, the poor people on this ship free, and she would be catching up with Kaz on how his operations were going, sharing information they had gathered on their respectable fronts that the other is in need of.

And maybe they could be sitting on the roof of Wylan’s home, fingers entwined, leaning on each other, watching the stars and slowly relaxing, getting used to the proximity after all that time they were apart. She would slowly press her lips to his throat then, breathing him in, waiting, until he either moved away if it got too much or, the outcome she preferred, he’d kiss her. Some days they would kiss for a few minutes, others one or both of them couldn’t stand any contact, but their slow progress seemed to bring both of them happiness.

Another kick, even though it was losing on intensity, shot Inej back into reality. She wasn’t sure how long she was already a captive on the Illion, Pollet’s ship, but from the days she managed to count it must have already been at least a month and a half, maybe two. She prayed even now, after so long, that her crew made it to land safely, along with the damaged Wraith and the few people that helped them in a previous job and asked for a ride back to Kerch. Dorian could fix the ship, Oliander would take care of the injured and Freya, the Grisha that insured they made good time when the winds weren’t on their side, could take them to where they needed to go.

If they survived the stormy sea, they’d get back on their feet, and Loe, her first mate, would take over the jobs they had already planned. She trusted her with the lives of all those people suffering right now, waiting to be reunited with their loved ones and freedom.

“Very well then. Jung, cut her up.”

Inej scrambled backwards, awakening terrible aches with every movement. She was starved, tired, beaten, and her body refused to cooperate. She urged it, begged, cursed, but no muscle moved anymore.

Jung yanked her healthy arm up painfully, flicking open a small knife and pressing it into yet untainted skin just below her elbow. The place tattoos would mark who you belonged too.

A new kind of panic set in, an old one she hasn’t felt in years. It shook her body, put her mind into a frenzy, awakening animal instincts that made her trash her body with new-found energy, a futile attempt at getting away. When Jung let her go, she curled into a ball, closing her eyes.

“You have time to think about how you are going to behave tomorrow. Then I afraid we are going to have to start doing this seriously- your feet, maybe, or fingers. I wonder which will go first.” She heard Pollet say, in a voice so similar to Tante Heleen’s that she tried to shut her eyes even tighter. It was that almost apologetic voice, like he felt sorry he had to do this but she simply left him no other choice.

Now look what you made me do, Little Lynx.

Inej wished with all her heart she had her knives now. Their familiar weight would ground her, running her fingers over them and naming them one by one, a silent prayer, would give her strength. But she only had the cold, receding steps of her captors and the slam of the door that held her hostage in this small, dark space. Soon her slow breathing - more like a wheezing really - , was the only company she had.

She didn’t know how long she lay there motionless, mind blank, before she crawled over to where the small bowl of water lay. She slowly gulped, taking breaks after each time she swallowed to give her stomach time to get used to it. She still held an annoying aversion to it ever since a week ago they tried to get information out of her by almost drowning her in a bucket of sea water.

She had to get out of here, and had to do it very soon. All the plans she had made when left alone were only half-finished, bordering with those of an amateur, but she had no choice. Pollet was going to start upping his game, and she couldn’t afford to lose what he wanted to take, or any chance of escaping would go down the drain.

She dug out a piece of glass she snatched from a pile when the boy who was bringing her food ‘accidentally’ fell down and broke his captain’s mug that shouldn’t even had been on that tray in the first place from a crack in the boards, along with a thin pick Kaz had gifted her that was weaved through her shirt for emergencies. There were supposed to be two, but the other must have fallen off during the fight.

It wasn’t much, but it was something. Enough, if her Saints looked upon her.

Sankta Alina, Sankt Petyr, Sankta Marya, Sankta Anastasia, Sankt Vladimir, Sankta Lizabeta.

She rested her back on one of the walls and started thinking. She was Inej Ghafa, Wraith of the Seas, Hunter of Slave Traders, the Ghost Ship Captain, and she will find her way back home.

[emuftw]

Dreamboy Fan theory (Part 1)

TW: mentions of physical abuse, animal abuse and depression

Quick intro! - So with the next episode being the season 1 finale, I thought it would be a good time to share my theory of what is going on at PepperHights. I wanted to share now before the finale comes around and totally proves me wrong but for once I oddly don’t mind. It also goes without saying it is just a fan-theory and it’s not meant to be taken too seriously. With that being said however, I do talk about the themes as tagged so be mindful whilst reading. One key note, going forward when I use “Dane” I will be referring to character Dane in the show. When talking about the real Dane, I will be referring to him as “Producer Dane” when talking about all things outside of the podcast.

Also, this is LONG! When I started this I was hoping for a post similar length to my transcription of the Instagram live. As I keep typing however I realise that to make this flow easier I have split this into two parts. Part 1 will talk about the general theme of “what’s going on” and my guess at how Season 1 will end. Part 2 will carry on with the key points that were mentioned before, but with focus on the characters and how it all links together along with their individual theory’s.

Dreamboy has been an amazing podcast from start to finish. From the music, Character Danes sex drive to the sheer horror which is woven in every episode, it is clear you can see why it was picked up but Night Vale Presents. However, after seven and a half episodes (and a holiday special) there is still a lot of mystery of “what” is going on in the show. As fans we know that there has been a build up to something big happening and with hints of Aliens, magic and the super natural taking place in most episodes. For me though, there seems to be one clear overriding theme that is taking place and that ISNT the idea of there being a giant fish, the fear of giant family corporations going to Jupiter and finding something, the dreams of death or even the sharing of dreams between two strangers.

It’s the horror that comes with mundane life and everyday people itself. For more clarity, I don’t think there is anything supernatural, Syfi or horror going on. Instead, I think this is a tale of people and the hardships of life and how it is perceived via tone which I am hoping to break down in this fan theory! Key themes here are things I have picked up though my own life experiences, what has been said on and off podcast, livestreams, and assumptions from what took place in the original off Broadway production/BTS episode and people who work on the podcast.

At the start of the podcast we are introduced to a morbid way of thinking with Dane’s idea of a supermarket is just one giant morgue of animals and dead plants. This creepy tone is continued throughout the whole story. It’s captivating, it’s engaging and its part of what makes the podcast great but there isn’t something that would count as a big “horror” or “bad guy”. Instead, it’s how Character Dane talks about the supermarket which makes it scary.

This use of Tone and description is used a lot to make us the listener gripped in the moment along with how we imagine and perceive what is being described to us, however, we havn’t yet seem to encounter one key thing which is actually “evidence” of something paranormal. Instead, a lot of what is happening can be put down as as the struggles of life and its affect on ones own personal mental health and personal life experiences that come with getting older as well as how we cope with the events around us. These can be seen in all our “main” characters Dane talks to such as Dane himself, Luke and Critch, all of whom I will talk about more in Part 2. (Note:  I don’t include Characters such as Carol and Dan in this as whilst our leads have spoken to them, unfortunately they don’t seem to have a big impact on the story outside of the episodes they are featured in.)

A good example however, of how Danes descriptions of characters and tone can be seen as “something supernatural is going on” is how we perceive Jennifer and the Non-Girl Scouts. When we first meet Jennifer, Dane describes her as a “child who looks like she has been raised by her grandparents”. She is also later described as a “girl scout” and is frequently referred to as a “child”/ “kid”. In a cultural context, when talking about girl scouts, being from England I associated them with our equivalent, who are ages from 7-10 and when she mentions that she and the other two had a “slumber party” it furthers this idea of a young girl. This tone/description sets us up to believe she is very young, which is even more jarring once she opens her mouth and speaks about complex issues such as feminism and equality in their complexity but sophisticated manor. All these Ideas, and Tone, leads us to think that she is “creepy” and “up to something big” in a supernatural sence. However in episode 7 our perception of how we view Jenifer changes.

In the episode Dane asks “what is she twelve?” to which she corrects him and tell us she is actually 13. This greatly surprised me when she told us this, and yet at the same time, for the first time made her human. At 13, we instantly gain between 3-7 years of life experience, meaning by now she is starting to form her own personality and ideology, which is something we expect from a teenager. A teenager talking about toxic masculinity is less jarring than a child talking about it. Whilst people would perceive her as a “child” still, there is a big difference in maturity level and complexity thinking, which means we no longer have a “creepy child girl scout” on our hands, but rather a “young teenager who is making their own choices though understanding social situations”. In this episode have a very human moment of a teenager asking for help as well as frustration break down when Dane won’t give her the keys as he “knows” they won’t open the door. I get the impression this is not easy to do for her,  and from the live stream we know she doesn’t like to be messed around. For the first time we have a very human moment where we see her struggles and vulnerability, rather than the creepy tone which has been set by Dane and his narrative.

So with the Idea set that we are dealing with real life instead of a big horror taking place, I would like to also address one of the key areas this applies to as well as what I believe is taking place. I would like to talk about Zoe the Zebra and what has actually happened.

For me personally, I believe that Zoe is already dead, but not for the reason you believe. Early on, in the first episode, we are told that Zoe is an old Zebra who is the Zoos start attraction. A bit of Basic googling shows us that in the wildlife, a zebra can realistically live for 10 years whilst in captivity they can live up to 40 years on record. If we assume that Zoe has never seen the wildlife and was bred in captivity, we can assume she was born into the Zoo around 1990 at the EARLIEST, meaning she’s a pretty old Zebra nearing 30 if Dreamboy is set in 2019. With the Zoo being popular but struggling for funds, and based off the other animals such as the monkey who needs to listen to opera to sleep, we can assume that Zoe did not have a suitable enclosure for her. An unsuitable environment along with being the “star” of the Zoo, it means she was also frequently surrounded by load noises, no enrichments/toys and could have been alone despite being a heard animal. These factors are all key contributors to animals developing some form of Stereotypical behaviour during her time at PepperHights.

(Quick definition break: Stereotypic behaviour is defined as a repetitive, invariant behaviour pattern with no obvious goal or function. Stereotypic behaviour is not seen in animals in the wild and is understood to be abnormal and is therefore a negative factor in conservation captive breeding. Common Stereotypical behaviour includes habits of repartition such as noise making, pacing in the same location and self-mutilation as a result of over grooming AKA not nice!).

Based on what I learned in my time working with animals, this behaviour can also lead to aggression when behaviour patterns are interrupted or the animal is dealing with something they are not familiar with (such as someone breaking into their cage late at night). This sadly what is likely lead to the death of Ian. Whilst in the story it has been said that Zoe’s fate is still to be decided via the judge later in the week, I  believe Zoe is actually already dead due to Zoo’s protocol’s that occur in these situations. It is very common when there is an active risk of the safety of the members of public in regards to wild animals, whether they have activity hurt a member of public or not, is too shoot the animal dead on the scene.

I have seen this happen when animals have killed members of staff in Zoo’s, to just lynx’s escaping from enclosures and going into the country side with no interactions with the public at all. If we are to assume that the person who reported Ian’s death also knew the Zoo’s procedures, we can assume that Zoe, who in in a scare fit killed Ian on accident, was shot on the scene to prevent anyone else being harmed. It is also worth noting that currently we do not know if we have seen Zoe since the incident, only that we have heard her cries which could have easily been recorded and played over the speaker system. It is also easy to believe as since Critch has requested no one to be present at her death, Zoe is already dead but Critch wishes to hide that so that people still visits the Zoo to see Zoe one last time before she goes as so many people love’s her. As well as this, it would also explain why there is such a big push for the lost ocean, as their main attraction is already dead.

Going back to the original discussion of theme, This idea of an animal who is kept in a poor enclosure, driven crazy by the noise and consistent lack of respect to then only be added on with her death on the scene is obvious a lot more realistic than the “murderous Zebra” or even the “drag Queen Zebra” which is frequently used to describe the situation. Its sadness of the situation, from an animal never being kept in its natural environment which lead to a young persons death, to the fact that there is no formal closure for this animals death, which leads to the finale being less of a supernatural horror to more of a real life situation which we as society become numb to as we exist day to day.

---

For now, this is all I have for part 1. The idea of nothing supernatural going on is something which seems to be something which is only slightly touched on with the “plot” of Dreamboy. In Part 2, the idea of personal hardships, challenges and how these can link to a more telling story is what I am hoping to cover as well as my own personal theories.

Will hopefully get part 2 up within the next couple of days but till then stay groovy!

[panelun]

Wait so I decided to dig up some LPE meta, and 1) did Christian really meet Yngve? And 2) did he recognize that he isn't Eric by the lack of a leg scar? Did he memorize his boyfriend's scars so good? I am in awe

Sorry, I was re-reading it to answer you correctly.

First, a little extract of Eric talking about Christian to Jef for the first time :

—Je m’en moque ! Si j’avais un ou deux ans de plus, on ne me traiterait pas ainsi. Patience ! Ça changera. En attendant, dans deux jours, Christian sera là.

— Il te manque tellement ?

— Ah oui, alors ! Pendant quinze ans, tu ne soupçonnes même pas l’existence d’un être que tu rencontre par hasard un matin. Tu passes quinze jours avec lui, il te semble l’avoir connu toute ta vie… Il te plaira sûrement, tu verras.

As Eric plan to present is french boyfriend to his other boyfriend, Tadek argue with Eric and kidnap him to remplace him by Yngne at the begining of the novel.

At the same time, Christian and the others are invited to the coronation, but Tadek don’t let them meet Eric and Christian is sad.

Christian n’a plus faim. Pétrissant son couteau d’argent, il songe au temps où Eric partageait son couvert d’étain.

 As the time goes by, Christian still isn’t authorized to meet personnally Eric.

Philippe ouvrait la bouche pour protester. Il eut pitié de Christian qu’il vit désemparé, et l’entraîna dans la galerie.

— Allons, viens, tout s’expliquera. Tu penses bien qu’Éric ne fait pas ce qu’il veut…

They finally see him during a reception, but it’s Yngne, Eric’s sosie, and he didn’t looks at Christian nor talk to him. Christian don’t notice they remplaced him. He looks changed, but everyone think it’s because he’s hill.

Christian’s Intense gaze, illustrated by Pierre Joubert.

Au dîner, Christian le dévora des yeux.

He try to convince Tadek to let him talk to Eric in private, but the advisor refuse once again.

And Christian, after being nearly killed by his lover during the last book, don’t takes “no” for an answer. He try to enter by force but he’s stopped by Jef who give him a rendez-vous to talk. Christian is now conviced Eric’s is held captive.

But a french ambasador (probably here to temper the diplomatic tensions between France and Swedenborg. Remember the Eric’s agression in the wood by the Lynx ?) also noticed something was wrong and suggest Eric had been remplaced. Christian says he was too affected to notice, but remembers Eric had a scar on the leg.

— Si elle existe, c’est lui. Sinon, c’est un imposteur. Seulement, il faudra le voir les jambes nues, et ce ne sera pas facile !

I’m sure Christian saw this scar more than he should have…

Well, at least, we already know Tadek didn’t found the scouts undressing the prince, or France and Swedenborg would still be at war.

So many jokes, so little time…

They decide to organise a scouts’ party and ask Eric to wear scout uniform to corroborate their doubts.

The day after…

Dès qu’il le vit, Christian su que ce n’était pas lui. Jamais Eric n’aurait ainsi noué son foulard, mis ses bas aussi mal. 

“Darling, you’re maybe dying, at least, but try to be tidy !”

So Christian ask the the prince if he can help him to tie his scarf and arrange his socks. The boy says yes and Christian notice he don’t have scar on the leg. 

During the evening, Jef enter in the scouts’ room and tell them what happened.

Before being kidnapped, Eric wrote a message to Jef.

Suis enfermé ici par Tadek. Je ne sais ce qui va m’arriver. Préviens mes amis, veille sur Christian, méfie toi de Ralfsen : c’est un traître.

I understand this as “take care of my boyfriend”.

He discovered Eric was replaced by a sosie, Yngne, a sick boy Tadek force to play Eric’s role. The advisor don’t heal him so he’ll die as Eric after the coronation.

The day after, they go to the church. Christian prays.

For Eric, of course.

— Mon Dieu, suppliait Christian, faites qu’on le retrouve ! Tout ce que vous voudrez que je fasse, je le ferai, tous les sacrifices que vous me demanderez, je vous les offrirai. Oh, je sais, nous sommes si nombreux à prier, supplier, réclamer, si nombreux à dire “s’il-vous-plait” et jamais “merci”, si nombreux dont il faut s’occuper… N’oubliez pas mon père, ma mère, ma patrouille, mes frères les scouts, et mes autres frères auxquels vous n’avez pas accordé cette grâce — les garçons rencontrés à Berlin… — Mais Seigneur, faites qu’on le retrouve !

And Philippe…

Eric m’appartient, tout comme Christian, Daniel ou François. Eric est Loup, frère Jesus, rends-le-nous.

In heaven, Jesus :

So they go with Jef to save Eric. Stuff happen. They find the place where he’s held captive and look for him.

And find him.

 Behind a door in a closet…

Soudain, Christian bondit, ouvre une armoire : c’est elle qui dissimule la porte, le dernier obstacle. On introduit la clef dans la serrure, on tire le verrous, on bouscule dans l’ouverture, et…

Et…

Et on découvre Eric, qui se jette au cou de Christian et délire de bonheur.

I… don’t have words. The symbolic of this scene is too much for me…

But scouts remembers them they have to be quick. They used a boat, but fall on the lake. By chance, they’re all safe and sound, but Eric is tired.

Eric se laisse tomber sur le sol et gémit.

— Pas de ça ! fait Christian qui le prend sur ses épaules.

They find a house. The woman living here lets them in and heals Eric.

The day after, Ralfsen arrives and begs for forgiveness. Eric boy accepts his excuses and he helps them to go back to the capital. They arrrest Tadek, Yngne die and Eric becomes the king. 

The end !

[ridertrust]

Tripmode alternative windows 10

Tripmode alternative windows 10 code#

Tripmode alternative windows 10 mac#

On my yak-shaving list: finding a terminal-based webkit browser, setting up a travel Firefox profile w/ uBlock, Noscript, images and all updates disabled for travel mode.īesides the browser hijinks, my current setup is incredibly well behaved – a few bytes for occasional ntp updates that I haven’t been able to track down (it’s not in my init.d…), but I can live with that. I’m also using elinks (links/lynx as backups), which is much more efficient, of course. I could probably disable the updates (there may be other extensions as well though) and various syncing things, but instead I’m using uzbl at the moment (surf and vimprobable are other options) for lightweight browsing. The other thing that was (not surprising) was that both Chromium/Chrome and Firefox chew through networking with their auto-updates. It’s purely local, but it was running up charges so I ended up uninstalling it for now. OOTB, things were decent – I wrote a script to stop unattended-upgrades and dropbox to avoid any surprises, however a few surprises: avahi-daemon doesn’t seem to stop chattering even when turned off. iptraf and iftop work well for tracking connections, and nethogs lets you see connections on a per-process basis. I’m running Ubuntu 15.04 on my X250 at the moment. There’s no way for me to effectively control all the various daemons or lock down the network (Little Snitch tracks and shows me everything, but inexplicably gives me no way to go into a lockdown mode). I haven’t bothered using my Macbook Air – it chewed through 20MB of even more expensive internationl airplane wifi in a matter of minutes. The portal itself is a simple Python cgi-bin, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find it backed by a solid embedded FreeBSD setup (curiousity got the better of me, It’s running an ancient Debian Linux (2.6 kernel), the web server is lighthttp).

Tripmode alternative windows 10 code#

The captive portal is a short code provided by receipt-printed vouchers, and it’s actually pretty good/reliable as far as these things go. The pricing is tiered, and the best per-MB pricing is 50MB for 10NZD (0.20NZD/MB) – I’m on day 2 and my third voucher right now. I am currently on “Milford Sound Lodge Internet Access” which is a pretty decent satellite connection (about 20KB/s) considering that cell phone reception ended over 100km back (I have a Vodafone and Spark prepaid sims for this trip). Those specifically interested in my yak shaving experiences on getting Linux set up on a Lenovo X250 of course can follow along, but this will be more focused. I’m spending the month driving around New Zealand and I figure I’d write about one interesting tech travel challenges (and one of the major reasons that I’m in the process of switching to Linux from OS X). As mentioned, Linux has a lot less processes randomly talking to the network, but tc can be used to control ingress and egress speeds, Duoane and OpenSnitch allow per-process blocking.

Tripmode alternative windows 10 mac#

UPDATE: if you are using Windows or Mac and will be on metered Internet, be sure to check out TripMode, an invaluable app for helping you control data usage (Mac users can also try Radio Silence).

[research-alexlondon]

Final Deliverables:

These are the final elements I handed in for this assignment. 

In terms of my critical commentary, I found the researching incredibly interesting and was really passionate towards my topic which helped me maintain momentum. I was happy with the change of method I chose to do as it relates to my design processing more as well as relating well to the topic. The title of my critical commentary was ‘indecent exposure’ as I felt it this related well to both of my contexts and the idea that being exposed to either of these ideas is harmful for both men and women (or ‘indecent’). This exposure is also heightened due to the digital age we live in. On top of all this, i felt it also relates well to the provocative nudity side advertising, which could be considered ‘indecent’ or ‘exposed’. All in all, I felt this title had many layers I could play on and was teamed with the tagline ‘exploring implications of female portrayal on self-esteem and gender roles’ which gave context to it and summed up the commentary, giving the readers an idea of what was to come. 

I felt my own created image was a good reflection of what was explored in the critical commentary and is an elegant, sophisticated portrayal of it. For my own imagery, I wanted to create something shadowy and moody which is captivating for the viewer and portrays that she is ‘in the dark’- as many other women are on this issue. I felt that using the bill poster technique provides interest and relates well to the advertising aspect that I have researched. Due to COVID, I had only my sister to choose from as my model and as she was slightly uncomfortable with being the model it meant I had more limited options in the amount of photographs taken. This, however, acted as my first task towards making a woman feel empowered and confident in her own personal beauty! I felt this confidence and self-esteem boost was achieved as she got more comfortable towards the end of the photoshoot and was shocked and liked the final outcome. I ended up using the text ‘her beauty does not define her’ instead of the other sentences I brainstormed as I felt this portrayed that despite being beautiful in her own way, she is more than this as every other woman is. I did not want to use something that only talked to her looks or only talked to her deeper qualities and felt like this straddled both topics. I went with the upper-case lettering as it felt more punchy and was more sophisticated and clean, I also felt this made it more of my own style and I was more pleased with the outcome than some of the previous iterations I had made. 

In terms of my postcards, I felt I maintained a good balance of actual female body sexualisation as well as more abstract, alluded to objectification. I felt that these all were a good display of the contexts I explored within my critical commentary. I thought that the use of photography postcards which display the ‘ideal’ body type related best to the low self esteem and body issues for women context that I explored -this is demonstrated in the lynx, BMW, tom ford, WAD and uniden advertisements. I felt the gender roles and relationships were explored better on ones that did not have the same female body exposure and made up the other half of my postcards -this is demonstrated on the warners, BMW, and Weyenberg and Nakshatra advertisements). I indicated on the set that I handed in which image goes with which text in case I had done it incorrectly however having done a test print I am 99% sure I got it! 

I concluded that displaying some more abstract, objectifying postcards (such as the pear, Nakshatra diamonds, Arbys, and Undien advertisements) was vital in order to demonstrate the extent of objectification as well as noting that there will be subtle methods of objectifying women that will embed into our subconscious and still influence us ongoing. It is becoming apparent that this is the way of the future, where advertisers simply subtly play on the idea opposed to being outright about it which is not a solution in any way. I wanted to push the idea that even if it is not the photographic ideal body in front of us, it is still sexism and objectification and is not helping us progress towards equality and positive images in the media. 

I thought demonstrating a progressive, positive postcard (the UN women campaign) was essential to demonstrate the movement in which society is and could improve. I think it is necessary to touch on the fact that there is slight progression in the way that women and shown in the media but note that there is still a long way to go with this. 

While I had the COVID-19 extension on the image and postcard hand-in, I chose not to use it in the end as I felt I was able to push myself to get it finished for the initial hand-in. I got the extension as a safety net due to some disruptions in my home environment and the lack of motivation I have felt due to heighten anxiety in the world in general.

[margot-mitchell1]

BLUE ELECTRODE

PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

FINISHING LINE PRESS

FinishlingBooks@aol.com

www.finishinglinepress.com

PO Box 1626 Georgetown, KY 40324

📷

For Immediate Release Finishing Line Press announces the publication of

BLUE ELECTRODE, Poems, by Margaret Barbour Gilbert

In BLUE ELECTRODE, the poet uses her own experience as an analogue of contemporary Southern history.

Ralph Burns, author of but not yet (Lynx House Press, 2017) Winner of The Blue Lynx Poetry Prize, & Ghost Notes (Oberlin College Press, 2000), Winner of The Field Poetry Prize, writes,

“These poems interrogate seizure disorder and recovery, its spectrum, the people around it, family, community. In those waters swim a sense of history, distortion, victimhood, the inevitability of scapegoating, in fact, discrimination and racism. The poems themselves seize. Their strongest light is their willingness to inhabit the very “kindling” of the neurons, “the highway clothed in goldenrod.” Indeed, as the poet writes in “Blue Electrode,” the title poem, “Yes, my mother thinks to herself/ tying her torn scarf/ the words Epilepsy and Woe/ are synonymous.”

Mary Stewart Hammond, author of Out of Canaan (W.W. Norton, 1991) & Entering History (W.W. Norton, 2016), writes:

“The poet's work to establish agency in the midst of sickness is so clear and hard fought, that one is filled with admiration and wonderment at the ability to carry the reader so deep into her journey with all of its subcurrents.”

Stephanie Emily Dickinson, author of Heat (New Michigan Press, 2013) & Blue Swan Black Swan: The Trakl Diaries (The Bitter Oleander Press, 2021), also writes:

"Recapturing Anna Karenina......is really an epic. Incredible. Mrs. Walker is such a figure, a malign force in the house. The chicken, too... cut up, dismembered lives. I am amazed at how the poems work together and create mood. The old south becoming the new south and the violence in the gesture and word. Like "Eating a Piece of Black Bottom Pie." I should think considering the times ---this book could get attention."

The cover for Ms. Gilbert's new book features a painting by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Woman at the Mirror (1912). The artist has used the brilliant device of a broken mirror which reflects a slanting image of the woman.

Influenced by Sylvia Plath and James Dickey, Ms. Gilbert, in her free verse poems, explores themes of violence, otherness, and alienation. Her poem "Eating Oatmeal" is included in the Everyman Pocket Poets anthology, Conversation Pieces: Poems That Talk to Other Poems (2007). She is also the author of a chapbook, My Grandmother's Engagement Ring (2014), published by Finishing Line Press, and her poems have appeared in Hotel Amerika, Mudfish, Crazyhorse, The Examined Life Journal, and elsewhere. Her play, A SCENE OF CAPTIVITY WITH WALTZES AND MIRRORS, was staged at Harvard's Agassiz Theatre twice.

Finishing Line Press is a poetry publisher based in Georgetown, Kentucky. In addition to the Chapbook Series, it publishes the New Women’s Voices Series and sponsors the Finishing Line Press Open Chapbook Competition. Other recent Finishing Line Press releases include Man Overboard by Steven Barza, Scared Money Never Wins by Julia Wendell, Putting in a Window by John Brantingham, Family Business by Paula Sergi, and Drawing Lessons by Carol Barrett. Finishing Line Press and editor Leah Maines were featured in both the 2001 and 2002 Poet’s Markets.

Publication Date: August, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-64662-540-6

To order online, go to http://www.finishinglinepress.comOr, you may order directly from the publisher, $14.99, check or money order to:

Finishing Line Books PO Box 1626 Georgetown, KY 40324 finishingbooks@aol.com

You can also contact the author, Margaret Barbour Gilbert, by email at margaretbarbourgilbert@gmail.com.